MUTEK INTERVIEW: PLASTIKMAN, AKA RICHIE HAWTIN

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Canadian techno legend Richie Hawtin has been announced as one of the headliners of Mutek, Montreal’s international festival of digital creativity and electronic music whose 12th edition takes place from June 1 through 5…

“This will be the return of the Plastikman Live project that was first premiered at Mutek in 2004,” says Hawtin, who lives (and works) in his hometown of Windsor, Canada and has offices for his labels Plus 8 and m-nus in Berlin, Germany. “Although the show we will present this time is more advanced, they are linked together like brother and sister. Plastikman Live has always explored the connection of man and machine, and how at the hands of a single performer, cutting-edge technologies can combine to create a powerful multimedia concert type experience.”

Hawtin and his collaborators, Jarrett Smith of Canadian visual architects Derivative and visual designer Ali Demirel, just completed the first twenty shows of the audio-visual Plastikman Live tour. Plastikman’s whole deal is the perfect fit for MUTEK. Now in its 12th year, this exciting festival isn’t just for geeks. While you’ll find laptops, bleeps and tech speak galore, there’s also dancing, parties, and electronic music and art for everyone. As digital culture has influenced the mainstream, so has the avant-garde become more accessible, and more fun.

Other artists booked so far include Amon Tobin, Modeselektor, Four Tet and many more, with Hawtin and his Plastikman alter-ego hitting the stage on June 3. Hawtin, gearing up for the forthcoming release of the 16-disc Plastikman Arkives retrospective collection, is excited to return to Montreal, party city.

“Montreal has been supportive of my career since the very beginning. As early as 1991 we were invited by [CBC radio show] Brave New Waves to come and record a special Plus 8 label spotlight and play at an early rave thrown by a then young promoter named Tiga! That connection has remained strong over the years with dozens of return visits, late night sessions at nearly all the clubs, and New Years Eve celebrations. The foundation of our music has always been strong in Montreal, and it’s a pleasure to not only see it develop, but in my own way, help that development being part of so many of these events over so many years.”

Guest Blogger Simona Rabinovitch is a Montreal native who lives Brooklyn, New York. She covers arts, culture, travel and entertainment-type stuff for the Huffington Post, Globe & Mail, ELLE Canada, Lonely Planet, Zink, DazedDigital and more.

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